Dunkin Donuts' CEO Just Said Something Insane About the Minimum Wage

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Though Dunkin' Brand CEO Nigel Travis supports "reasonable increases" to the minimum wage, he said that $15 per hour for fast food workers would be "absolutely outrageous."

Travis made these remarks after a New York wage board recommended fast food workers earn a minimum of $15 an hour, with the increase going into effect before 2019 if the state labor commissioner approves of the change. Travis told CNN that the jump will amount to a 71 percent hike from the current state minimum, which he says will impact small businesses and franchises as well as hinder the company's ability to hire more people.

Speaking to CNN, Travis said many of Dunkin's minimum wage earners are teens who are likely to quit for better-paying jobs at some point. He explained that he supports a "living wage" and tailoring worker pay to their cost of living. Though Travis says $12 an hour is a reasonable increase for New York workers, CNN pointed out that MIT's Living Wage Calculator reveals New York state's living wage is currently $14.30 for one person. The more people you add to your household, the higher your hourly pay needs to be to make a living wage.

Why people all over are fighting for a $15 per hour minimum wage.

Several months ago, Fight for $15 organized a nationwide rally advocating for a $15 per hour minimum wage. ATTN: visited the Los Angeles rally, which drew more than 1,000 attendees and prompted a nearby McDonald's location to lock its doors before the official rally start time.

Jibri Range, a 22-year-old father who has been working at McDonald's for more than two years, told ATTN: at the time that his low wages don't go very far in expensive Los Angeles. With such a high cost of living, $15 an hour would have a huge impact on his life.

"It's been all hard work, and I feel like I have to walk on pins and needles just to prove to them that I'm worth [higher wages]," Range told ATTN:. "They say that I'm lazy. We're really going to be heard today, [and] now is the time when they're really going to pay attention to us."

Roger Aragon, who makes minimum wage as a home health care worker, told ATTN: that the argument that minimum wage workers are greedy is misguided and incorrect.

"Let's be honest, the minimum wage has not been able to keep up with the cost of living for a very long time, and it's about time we get this straightened out," Aragon said at the rally. "It's not about getting paid extra, it's about making sure we get out of poverty."

Why "just get another job" isn't constructive advice.

Following the rally, Franchesca Ramsey of Upworthy nailed exactly why it's wrong to tell minimum wage workers to just get another job if they want more money so bad:

"Just get a better job" does not solve #FightFor15 SOMEONE has to work service jobs. Not everyone can work at a desk

High school students aren't the only ones working these jobs.

Though Travis argues many Dunkin' workers are teens, another Twitter user pointed out a few months ago that it's impossible for teenagers to be the only ones holding minimum wage fast food jobs, as many of them have school during regular working hours:

@attndotcom@LauraDonovanUA everyone arguing that these jobs are for teenagers: who serves u at 1pm on a weekday? Not a kid who's at school.